forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit. – The Aeneid, Book 1 Last year I undertook an ambitious program of marathon swims: in April, the 24-mile Tampa Bay Marathon Swim; in June, the 28.5-mile Manhattan Island Marathon Swim; in August, a … Continue reading
My Catalina swim has been marinating for more than three months now, so I figured it was time to put this one to bed. Previous posts have covered my star-studded crew, a low-budget YouTube video, my GPS tracks, and my fear of deep water. … Continue reading
I met Janet Harris at a CIBBOWS gathering after the Great Hudson River Swim in May. A few weeks later, we swam side-by-side for a few minutes during the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim. Janet is known in the NYC-area swimming … Continue reading
There’s no “going back” in a channel swim. No parallel shoreline to offer a mental security blanket and visual stimulation. No (predictable) current to artificially speed your progress. No intermediate landmarks for last-minute course adjustments; the stated distance is your best-case scenario. … Continue reading
When I boarded the Bottom Scratcher the night of August 24, the first thing I did was plug in my phone and activate the Instamapper GPS tracking app. Why was this the first thing I did? As most of my readers … Continue reading
Early last Thursday morning, I crossed the Catalina Channel in 8 hours, 55 minutes, 59 seconds. There’s a good story to tell, but I’ll start with a video. Many thanks to my fellow Promontory Point swimmer Amanda Hunt for getting … Continue reading
No ultra-marathon swim is possible without support – and the selflessness of a marathon swim crew is one of the most beautiful aspects of our sport. I couldn’t be happier with the motley collection of folks supporting my Catalina swim. … Continue reading
On a whim in late May, three weeks before MIMS, I flew out to New York on a Friday evening, woke up the next morning and did the Great Hudson River Swim. The first race of the NYC Swim series, the … Continue reading
This past week I had the timely opportunity to crew (as a pace swimmer) for fellow MIMSer Cliff Crozier on his Catalina Channel crossing. Timely because my own Catalina swim is scheduled for exactly a week after Cliff’s (August 24-25). … Continue reading
Readers may be curious to see split times for the full rivers (East, Harlem, & Hudson) – not just the “segments” shown in the previous two posts. So here they are. You’ll notice a new swimmer in the mix here: … Continue reading
Part 1 Jump Shots MIMS: A photo journey Part 2 Part 3 (The Start) Part 4 (East River) Part 5 (Harlem River) Story of the splits: East & Harlem As I rounded the 90-degree bend in the upper Harlem River … Continue reading
In the “GPS snapshots” I’ve shown in the last couple posts, you can see how far apart each swimmer is (6 of them, anyway) in terms of distance. Four hours into the race, for example, Erica Rose was 455m ahead … Continue reading
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 I don’t really remember passing through Hell Gate and into the Harlem River. But there were signs: The river narrowed, the current slowed, the surface chop smoothed out, and the water was … Continue reading
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 The Staten Island ferry terminal marks the southernmost tip of Manhattan, and the confluence of the Hudson and East Rivers. The ferry – which carries 75,000 passengers per day and operates 24/7/365 – has … Continue reading
Part 1 Part 2 5…4…3…2…1… I set off around the Battery at a relaxed pace – giving myself a chance to warm up and see how things sort out. I figured I’d try to stay on Van Wisse’s heels for … Continue reading
When we left off in Part 1, I was enjoying the view from South Cove and trying to find a measure of peace before setting off on the 28.5-mile adventure-slash-race. I always try to make room for a few moments … Continue reading
For people not connected to me on Facebook, here’s a set of photos from my swim around Manhattan, taken by my boat observer Hannah. They tell a pretty good story. A preview: Manhattan Island Marathon Swim (Facebook album)
To me, there’s something quite special about the moment someone enters the water to begin a marathon swim. It’s an act of great courage; a willing surrender to a foreign and potentially dangerous environment; an acceptance of inevitable pain and … Continue reading
A few minutes before 10am Saturday, I jumped off a dock on the far southwestern tip of Manhattan and into the Hudson River. After a brief countdown I began a journey that would bring me around the Battery, up the … Continue reading
~15 minutes after the start of the Tampa Bay Marathon Swim: